Oxford City
Oxford is centrally located within England, and is at the heart of the county of Oxfordshire.
Oxford is one of the most photographed, filmed, and written about cities in the world. The enduring images are of historic Oxford and these images are vital to our flourishing tourist industry because it is historic Oxford that tourists visit in millions. It is, however, only one part of our city's story. Oxford at the beginning of the 21st century, while still with its historic core and green spaces, is a far cry from its media stereotype.
The population of Oxford in mid-2007 was estimated to be 151,0001. In marked contrast to other parts of the county, Oxford is ethnically and culturally diverse, with the third highest minority ethnic population in the South East. The city is not only culturally diverse but also youthful. 32% of Oxford's population consists of 16-29 year olds. This is twice the national average2. Over 30,000 students studied full-time at the two universities3 in 2005/06; this is the highest proportion of students in England and Wales4.
Oxford is an affluent city. However, median earnings of residents (£488 per week) are lower than the regional average5 and the city contains pockets of severe deprivation. Of 85 areas in Oxford, 18 are among the 30% most deprived areas in England6. These areas suffer multiple levels of deprivation - low skills, low incomes and high levels of crime.
The city is home to around 3,400 businesses providing 108,000 jobs. There has been little change in the total number of jobs in Oxford over the last 30 years. As manufacturing has declined, these jobs have been replaced by jobs in health, education and the service sectors. 89% of employees now work in services, including 42% in public administration, education and health7. Other key features of the local economy include the bioscience sector, IT, software and creative media businesses and university spin-off companies. The impact of the education economy, universities and major teaching hospital are positive drivers for the economy but add to the transitional population and puts pressure on the housing market. Oxford has a high level of incommuting, with around half its workforce living outside its boundary8.
The city is a densely packed urban space - covering 46 sq km (29 sq miles) - with very high levels of housing density. There are severe pressures on housing stock, with large concentrations of homes in multiple occupation and significant numbers of homeless and other vulnerable groups. House prices in Oxford are almost ten times greater than annual incomes9. This ratio is considerably higher than the South East average. Consequently the average joint attainable mortgage is far lower than the average price of houses.
As house buying in the city is out of reach of most households, there is a huge demand for more affordable rented housing in Oxford. The draft South East Plan states that 7,000 new houses should be developed in Oxford city during the 20 year period 2006 – 2026 (350 per year) and includes a review of the green belt which may result in opportunities to meet some of the housing pressures in the city.
Contemporary Oxford is a global brand. It is an economic hub at the centre of the South East Plan's central Oxfordshire sub-region and the Regional Economic Strategy's 'Diamond for Investment and Growth'. As such it is part of a sub-region with the greatest concentration of research and development in western Europe, with a world-class knowledge economy that underpins continued prosperity not just in Oxfordshire but in the south-east of England and beyond.
Oxford is a top international tourist destination and attracted approximately 8.8 million visitors in 200510. The city attracted the designation 'European Centre of Culture' in 2002, associated with the UK hosting of 'European Capital of Culture' in 2008. The city centre is a regional shopping destination, which performs extremely well and has a low vacancy rate. Oxford is ranked sixth as a retail centre of regional importance in the South East. The renaissance of the West End is an exciting joint project between SEEDA, Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. The vision is for the creation of a vibrant quarter of the city centre for all with a mix of uses and facilities to further develop opportunities for tourism, culture and retail.
Over 3,000 voluntary and community groups exist in Oxfordshire with a large proportion providing services to the residents of Oxford city11.
Priorities of the Oxford Strategic Partnership
The Oxford Strategic Partnership's vision is to make Oxford a world class city for everyone.
The Partnership recognises that strengthening the local economy is a cross cutting issue that impacts on the Partnership's five key priorities and objectives:
- To tackle the urgent need for more affordable housing.
- To improve the health and social welfare of the people of Oxford by providing opportunities and improving services for the vulnerable and those experiencing disadvantage and depravation.
- To work towards Oxford city becoming a carbon neutral city and a centre of excellence for climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives.
- To work in partnership to improve the public realm in all areas of the city
- To make Oxford a more cohesive and safer place.
These priorities link strongly to the three key themes of Oxfordshire 2030.
- World class economy
- Healthy and thriving communities
- Environment and climate change
Priorities in the Local Development Framework
The Oxford Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) and the Local Development Framework and Core Strategy are being prepared in close collaboration, with city council planners reporting regularly to the Strategic Partnership. As a result, the aspirations set out in the emerging Core Strategy vision are very similar to those in the SCS vision. The Core Strategy argues that Oxford should:
- Build on its unique heritage and international reputation. It emphasises the importance of new developments contributing to the distinctive character of particular areas of Oxford.
- Be at the forefront of measures to tackle climate change.
- Enhance its role as a sub-regional capital and service centre, e.g. by promoting sustainable tourism and the renaissance of the West End.
- Build on its strengths as a centre of excellence in areas such as higher education, health services, car manufacturing, and medical and scientific research.
More specifically, the Core Strategy also proposes:
- Achieving a high level of affordable housing from residential development and by requiring an appropriate contribution from commercial development.
- Adopting strong planning policies on flood protection and minimising the use of energy and natural resources in new developments to mitigate the impact of climate change.
- Addressing the theme of health and social inclusion by:
- promoting the provision of high quality convenient local health services
- prioritising new green spaces in areas with a significant current shortage
- promoting regeneration in the most deprived areas of the city
Find out more at www.oxfordpartnership.org.uk.
Notes
1. Source: Mid Year Estimates 2007, Office for National Statistics
2. Source: 2001 Census, Office for National Statistics
3. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency
4. Source: 2001 Census, Office for National Statistics
5. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earning 2007, Office for National Statistics
6. Source: Indices of Deprivation 2007, Department for Communities and Local Government
7. Source: Various, available from Nomis (www.nomisweb.co.uk)
8. Source: 2001 Census, Office for National Statistics
9. Source: Ratio of median house price to median earnings 2007, Department for Communities and Local Government
10. Source: The Economic Impact of Tourism Oxford 2005, Tourism South East
11. Oxford City Council provided £1.6m in grants to community and voluntary sector organisations in 2006/7
